Meet the giant tree that looks like a forest, spanning 8,500 square metres and producing 80,000 fruits

Maior Cajueiro do Mundo (Image: @BiancoDavinci/X)

• The world's largest cashew tree covers 8,500 square metres
• The tree's size is due to a rare genetic mutation
• It yields about 80,000 cashew fruits each harvest season

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The world’s largest cashew tree, Anacardium occidentale, continues to astonish visitors in Pirangi do Norte, spreading across 8,500 square metres and resembling a forest rather than a single living organism.

Known locally as “Maior Cajueiro do Mundo”, the tree stands near the beach in Parnamirim, within the state of Rio Grande do Norte. It is believed to be more than 100 years old. Local accounts say it was planted during 1888. A fisherman named Luis Inácio de Oliveira reportedly planted it. Over decades, it expanded beyond normal limits.

Maior Cajueiro do Mundo and Its Genetic Mutation

The tree’s remarkable size stems from mutation. Four of its five branches behave unusually. When touching soil, they grow new roots. Those roots thicken into secondary trunks. Each trunk remains genetically identical. Only one branch grew in typical fashion. That branch stopped after reaching ground. Locals nickname it “Salário mínimo”.

Its limbs now stretch nearly 50 metres outward. The canopy rises roughly 20 metres high. From nearby hills, it resembles woodland. Dense foliage forms a vast green dome. Sunlight filters through scattered clearings. Birds dart between twisting wooden columns. Visitors often struggle believing the truth. Guides quietly confirm it is one tree.

Growth, Harvest and Local Impact

Each harvest yields around 80,000 fruits. The scent turns sweet during ripening season. Farmers gather fruit and rest beneath shade. Children climb branches like playground frames. Elders sit nearby sharing local stories. The tree acts as meeting point. Residents use it as simple landmark.

Maintenance remains debated in nearby Natal. The spreading canopy nears surrounding park boundaries. Without pruning, branches may reach main roads. Authorities monitor growth carefully each year.

Scientists explain expansion through aerial rooting behaviour. Some species send roots from branches. These roots anchor and form thick trunks. The crown can spread almost endlessly. What seems mythical is simple biology.

Visitors leave with altered perspective. One organism covers vast ground silently. The tree continues expanding each season. For many, wonder blends with science beneath its shade.